Renee Rapp Feared ‘Slut-Shaming’ And Homophobia For Series ‘Sex Lives Of College Girls’

“The Sex Lives of College Girls” star Reneé Rapp has spoken out about feeling anxious during the first season of the hit series which debuted on HBO Max in November last year.

 The 22-year-old actor spoke with People magazine on Tuesday, revealing that she was “really afraid for the show to come out” and worried about what the people around her would say. 

I Felt Very Judged… Didn’t Feel Comfortable

“When the first season came out, I had different people in my life…I felt very judged, and I didn’t feel comfortable,” Rapp said. 

The Sex Lives of College Girls follows four college roommates as they arrive at New England’s prestigious Essex College. Rapp plays Leighton, a wealthy first-year student and daughter of an alum at Essex. Leighton conceals her sexuality from her friends and family for the majority of season 1 where she deals with internalised homophobia, coming out and experimenting with her sexuality. 

Leighton’s coming out story tackles the internal pressure of being comfortable with one’s sexuality. The show follows her opening up to her friends, having a strong support network as well as being able to openly date women for the first time in the latest season.  

Rapp told People magazine that she felt lucky that most of the people who made her feel judged were no longer in her life, and that the second season of the show provided her with the opportunity to embrace her character’s story and celebrate the show. 

“I actually was very excited for the second season to come out, because I felt much more comfortable to not be terrified to hear something either homophobic or slut-shaming, or things like that,” she says.

Rapp performed in Mean Girls on Broadway before being cast on the hit show and will be taking on the role of Regina George once more for the upcoming movie musical. 

Separating On-Screen Experiences From Real-Life Experiences 

Rapp is openly bisexual and described having to separate her own experiences from her character, Leighton’s when it came to sexuality as “weird.” 

“I don’t think I ever really dealt with those emotions as outwardly as Leighton did. I kind of… Just let shit go, in a bad way,” Rapp explained. 

Rapp reflected on Leighton’s coming out journey, noting the difficulty that her character had when it came to accepting her sexuality and sharing the news with the people close to her. 

“It was a lot,” she said. 

Mindy Kaling (The Office) and Justin Noble (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) are co-creators of the comedy series and have spoken high praises of Leighton’s storyline. 

In an interview with Collider, Noble said that he was “so stoked for a wide audience to see some stories that are traditionally more niche queer content that Leighton embraces, as she goes through her coming out journey.” 

Kaling emphasised the queer narrative, stating “I really do love the Leighton storyline. It’s so fun, and I felt like I learned a lot from that. It was interesting, just anthropologically.”

The Sex Lives of College Girls has been officially renewed for a third season.